Infant hippocampal and amygdala volume in an observational follow-up from a randomized clinical trial for maternal prenatal depression.
Catherine H Demers, Benjamin L Hankin, LillyBelle K Deer et al.
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In 30 seconds
This observational follow-up examined brain volumes and later negative emotionality in 109 infants born to mothers who had participated in a randomized clinical trial of brief interpersonal psychotherapy for prenatal depression or enhanced usual care. At 6 weeks, infants in the psychotherapy group had lower right hippocampal volume than those in the enhanced usual care group (p = .002, d = 0.62); left hippocampal and amygdala volumes did not differ significantly. Smaller hippocampal volume was associated with lower negative emotionality at 6 months (r = 0.19, p = 0.045).
Key findings
- Right hippocampal volume was lower in infants whose mothers were randomized to psychotherapy than in the enhanced usual care group (p = .002, d = 0.62).
- No statistically significant group differences were observed in left hippocampal or amygdala volume.
- Smaller hippocampal volume was associated with lower negative emotionality at 6 months (r = 0.19, p = 0.045).
Why it matters
The findings connect an intervention for prenatal depression with measurable differences in infant brain volume and suggest that hippocampal volume may relate to later emotionality. They underscore the potential relevance of maternal mental health to offspring development, while the observed associations do not establish that the intervention caused the brain-volume difference or that volume changes determine emotional outcomes.
What to keep in mind
This was an observational follow-up with exploratory infant outcomes; the abstract does not establish causal effects of the intervention on infant brain development or emotionality.